Burden of biocide resistance among multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from various clinical specimens in a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND

Most studies on biocide resistance and its genetic determinants arise from environmental or food-borne microbial isolates and only a few from clinically relevant isolates.

OBJECTIVES

This study determines the proportion of biocide resistance against five commonly used biocides and detects biocide resistance genes among MDR bacterial isolates using PCR.

METHODS

Consecutive MDR isolates (n ​= ​180) were included (30 each of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus species) from clinical specimens of various inpatient units at JIPMER. The isolates were challenged at 0.5,1 and 2 Macfarland (McF) inoculum with discrete dilutions of disinfectants. The minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) for 70% Ethanol, 1.5% Cresol, 2% Glutaraldehyde, 1% Cetrimide, and 1% Chlorhexidine were determined for the isolates using ATCC reference strains as controls. PCR was performed targeting qac A/B, G; smr; and nfx B genes.

RESULTS

For all biocides, MDR isolates had MBCs less than the maximum MBCs of ATCC strains. For MDR K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, and P. aeruginosa, the highest MBCs of chlorhexidine and cetrimide were ≥75 and ​≥ ​150 ​μg/ml respectively at 0.5 McF inoculum; whereas these organisms grew at higher inoculum (2McF) even at commercially recommended biocidal concentration (1%) corresponding to 750 and 1500 ​μg/ml of chlorhexidine and cetrimide respectively. Meanwhile, the highest MBCs of MDR E. coli were 75 and 150 ​μg/ml for chlorhexidine and cetrimide respectively. Interestingly, the Gram-positive cocci survived the action of up to 35% ethanol. The nfxB and qacG genes were detected in 87% and 6.67% of MDR P. aeruginosa isolates respectively with no biocide resistance genes detected among the other organisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Biocide dilutions challenged with higher inoculum indicated a narrow margin of effectiveness for certain biocides. Although a significant proportion of clinical MDR isolates of P. aeruginosa harbored biocide resistance genes, this finding had no phenotypic correlation.